Gidget

Gidget  oil - 8 x 8

A German Shorthaired Pointer who wants to play ball. Is there any other kind? I got together with some friends to paint, but I forgot to bring any reference materials to paint from, so I borrowed this photo from my friend Emily of her dog Gidget. Emily said she would trade this painting for one she will paint of my dog Tug. I'll bet I am getting the better end of this deal.

Princess Erin

Princess Erin  oil - 6 x 6

This is Baltimore Yacht Club's princess Erin, returning to BYC, on the bow of her commodore's boat,  after the Queen of the Chesapeake Pageant. I loved the way the light falls on her and the view of her from behind gazing over the piers.

Jovan - Blue Man

Jovan - Blue Man  oil - 7 x 5 

I painted this on a dark burgundy primed canvas to see if I liked starting with a darker value and working lighter instead, of the medium value I usually begin with. This forced me to look and paint the values in a different way. I started with the highlights and worked towards the medium values and then changed the the dark values to cooler or warmer colors where they were needed. I plan on experimenting with different colors of primed backgrounds to see how they effect my paintings. 

Tulips

Tulips  oil - 8 x 8

Thank you Leesy for sending this cheerful photograph of tulips taken by your neighbor. I love tulips. You can't help but smile when you see them. Tulips were the flowers I chose for my April wedding, 27 year ago. The florist had to wax them open for my bouquet  so they would hold up all day but they were beautiful. 

Me, Myself Portrait

Me, Myself Portrait  oil - 8 x 8

This weeks Daily Paint Works' Challenge, "The all about Me", was to paint a self portrait. I just couldn't skip this challenge since I have been painting so many portraits of other people. It was time that I became my own victim. So, I grabbed my camera, ran out side, pointed the camera back at myself (not an easy trick with a full size 35 mm) and started clicking. In this photo I think I forgot to smile but I suspect this is how I must look when I am concentrating on my work.  

To see other entries click here: DPW Challenge  

Tess

Tess  oil - 6 x 6 

In loving memory of their beloved dog, a friend of mine sent a photo of Tess for me to paint. The photo was a  little blurry and lacking directional light but since Tess is gone I did the best I could with what I had. I hope they like how the painting turned out.

Fred

Fred  oil - 6 x 6

I have heard talk of Fred but I have yet to meet him. This is Emily's husband of 36 years. She has sent a few photos for me to paint that I have really enjoyed painting so far. Thanks Emily! In this painting I included the hint of the barns in the background from the photo.  He looks like the kind of guy who wouldn't sit to have his portrait taken so including the barn I think works.  

Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed   oil - 24 x 18 

Almost two years ago Kate and Tim were married. I offered to do a painting, of their choosing, for a wedding gift. After much debate on what photograph I should use, I started painting about six months ago and finished it today. Finally. This was very tedious to paint. I had to number the buttons so I would know which one I was working on and count from the bottom up or from the top down. Each time I looked away to load my brush with more paint, I would lose my place and have to count all over again. I think I could have painted another six months and not have the buttons exactly perfect but am pleased with the finished results. Although this is not a "daily" painting, I thought you would enjoy seeing it.

Joyce Ann

Joyce Ann  oil - 10 x 8 

The hardest part of this painting was trying to decide what to title it.  Joyce Ann is her given name but we all know her mostly as Grandma, or Grandmom. To me she is just Mom. She didn't think I had a photo of her to paint but alas I did. This was taken after breakfast while visiting her brother and his wife in Cape May, NJ last summer.

Harold

Harold oil - 6 x 6

Here is a man who has worked hard, raised five kids and recently retired from General Motors. He is also my brother-in law, Chrissy's (I did a portrait of her last month) dad and a pretty cool guy. One of his kids sent this photo for me to paint. This blog has had a run on cute little girl portraits so Harold was a nice change to paint.  I decided to stay here in Florida and to continue painting daily while enjoying the amazing weather here... at least until the end of April.

Mister Ben

Mister Ben  oil - 6 x 6

Here's Ben a nice change from all the females I have been painting. He's also a nice change from all the Kaelber females too, when he is around. I'm looking forward to seeing him this week.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth  oil - 6 x6

My daughter Rachel and her best friend, Elizabeth, will be visiting us here in sunny Florida next week. I loved this photograph taken while she and my daughter were playing in the snow on their college campus. Sometimes a portrait almost paints it self and practically jumps onto the canvas but that was not the case this time. Maybe because I started late in the day yesterday. Whatever the reason, after redoing all the features at least once I am pretty happy with the results.

Add a Twist

Add a Twist  oil - 6 x 6

This is a little still life I set up on a piece of granite. I liked how the shadows and the reflections all intersect while the granite colors still can be seen through the reflections on it's shinny surface. 

Valentine's Day Rose Challenge

Yours Forever  oil - 7 x 5

Daily Paint Works' weekly challenge is to paint a rose using the supplied photo or another rose. I used the photo but changed it slightly to show hints of leaves in the background. This was the first time I have ever painted a rose in oil. Roses are challenging to paint but very appropriate for Valentines Day. I hope everyone has a day full of love.

Old Car in Florida Challange

Imperial in Florida  oil - 6 x 6

 I am posting late in the week, this week, since I have been traveling. Funny that I am in Florida and this weeks challenge on the Daily Paint Works Challenge is a photograph, taken by Carol Marine, of an old car in Florida. This challenge was open to anyone and you can view the submitted paintings, including mine, on the web site:

 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenges  

This was very cool to paint with all the reflections. I think I will get my camera out and look for other objects with as much reflection.

Have you any Wool?

Have You Any Wool  oil - 6 x 6

I took this picture of my friend J's sheep, on her farm, a few miles from my house. She told me her sheep needed to be sheared but I think they look so cute and warm, on these very cold days, the way they are. I contemplated allowing the paint to dry and painting this in layers with more realism but I kind of like the looser paint strokes for this friendly farm animal.

Paper Whites in the Sun and Tug

Paper Whites in the Sun  oil - 6 x 6

This was an ambitious subject to take on this week given that I started a large oil painting this week for K and T's wedding gift and we picked up our new dog "Tug" (a 13 month old female Brittany). I think I would like to do this painting larger and spend more time on the details and since I have several photos of this paper white I may do just that sometime in the future.  

Tug

Tug is very sweet and well mannered. We are very happy she has joined our family.